The bar at East Oxford Community Centre is facing an uncertain future for the second time in just over a year.

East Oxford Community Association, which runs the centre, on the corner of Cowley Road and Princes Street, has evicted the East Oxford Social Club, which runs the bar, after complaints by the police.

The bar has been been shut until further notice while the community association seeks to win a variation in the current licence.

Members of the volunteer-run social club - which was reformed with a new committee after complaints about the former management in March 2007 - found the locks had been changed when they arrived at the centre on Saturday, April 19.

Community association chairman Sarah Lasenby yesterday said it acted because of the police complaints and as it did not want the centre to lose its licence.

She feared a saturation policy introduced for the Cowley Road, which prevents new drinks licences being granted for premises in the road because of the number of existing establishments, would mean that it would not be able to regain the licence if it was revoked.

Ms Lasenby defended the decision to change the locks and said she believed the closing down of the club would ultimately benefit the local community.

She said: "It might have been heavy-handed but the fact is we did this before when we got rid of the previous social club.

"The social club did extremely well but they never quite achieved the level which the police expected in a licensed premises - we had little option, the licence was being called in by the police.

"They apparently had a significant list of problems associated with the social club and the final straw came when police went into the community centre with drugs dogs that appeared to indicate that some people were tainted in some way."

The association is now planning to get a variation to the licence so it can continue to host events with a bar, and hopes to appoint a qualified person to run the bar and act as a designated premise's supervisor.

Ms Lasenby said it had been indicated by the police this alternative would be looked on favourably.

She said: "We see this as a positive thing and we hope that the people who have been involved will bring their enthusiasm to help run events.

"A lot of people have worked very hard and made nice things happen but they never quite got it right and lots of people have told me they have felt excluded from some of the events so hopefully this will change."

Edward Popecor, treasurer of the social club, admitted there was little consensus between members of the club about their next move but said he believed the club was probably finished.

He said: "I think the social club is willing to bow out and support the plans, although there may be legal problems, and I do feel the community association committee has behaved entirely abominably towards us."